This non-provisional application incorporates by reference the subject matter of Application No. 2001-361526 filed in Japan on Nov. 27, 2001, on which a priority claim is based under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119(a).
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mounting structure for a tow hook that is used to tow other vehicles or the like.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a variety of mounting structures for a tow hook used for towing other vehicles have been proposed and put into practical use.
For example, there is known a tow hook mounting structure in which a reinforce is stacked over the inside of a side member with a concaved cross section. This tow hook mounting structure has the problem that the bottom parts of the side member and the reinforce are deformed due to a heavy load applied to a tow hook when towing other vehicles. To prevent the deformation of the bottom parts, it may be considered that the side member and the reinforce are increased in plate thickness to improve the stiffness thereof, but this would increase the weight of a vehicle and raise the cost.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved tow hook mounting structure.
To attain the above object, the present invention provides a tow hook mounting structure comprising: a vehicle body structural member comprising a bottom part and two side parts that extend upward from two side edges of the bottom part to be joined to a lower surface of a floor; a tow hook mounted on a lower surface of the bottom part of the vehicle body structural member; and a reinforce comprising a bottom part joined to the bottom part of the vehicle body structural member and two side parts joined respectively to the two side parts of the vehicle body structural member, at least one of the side parts and the bottom part of the reinforce being connected to each other via a continuous part extending diagonally therebetween.
With this arrangement in which the reinforce has the bottom part joined to the bottom part of the vehicle body structural member and the two side parts joined respectively to both side parts of the vehicle body structural member and at least one of the side parts and the bottom part of the reinforce are connected to each other via the continuous part extending therebetween, a load inputted from the tow hook can be transmitted to an area where the reinforce and the rear floor are welded to each other via the weld area of one of the two side parts, the continuous part, the bottom part, and the other one of the two side parts of the reinforce. This greatly improves the stiffness of the vehicle body structural member and enables the vehicle body structural member to withstand a heavy load applied to the tow hook to prevent the deformation of the bottom part.